Brief History The Holy See serves as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic church, and its history is as rich and complex as the history of the church itself. As the world’s smallest country, the Holy See is made up entirely of its capital city, Vatican City, which is itself surrounded by the city of […]
The earliest inhabitants of Cameroon were the Baka, who were hunters and gatherers. Descendants of the Baka people still live in the dense forests of Cameroon’s southern and eastern provinces. The first Europeans to arrive in Cameroon were Portuguese explorers and traders in the 15th century. They arrived at the coast, naming the region “Rio […]
The judiciary is independent in general. CCJ (The Caribbean Court of Justice) is the uppermost appellate court for Barbados. The Supreme Court includes a high court and a court of appeals. The PM enjoys a wide degree of discretion in judicial appointments, something Ms. Mia Amor Mottley promised to address in an ongoing constitutional reform […]
Lesotho, a small landlocked country in Southern Africa, has a history marked by resilience and strategic alliances. Originally inhabited by the San people, it saw the emergence of the Basotho nation in the early 19th century under the leadership of King Moshoeshoe I. He unified various clans to resist invasions from both the South African […]
There are no significant constraints on individuals’ freedom to travel within the nation or abroad, or to change their place of residence, work, or education. Although property rights and private business activity are generally supported in law and in practice, many Barbudans have opposed continuing attempts by lawmakers in Antigua to eradicate the communal land […]
Japan is a democracy with parliamentary system of governance. It is amazing that despite being a multiparty parliamentary democracy, Japan has been under the rule of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) almost continuously since 1955. Civil liberties & political rights are well respected. Unresolved challenges include ethnic and gender-based discrimination and claims of improperly close relations […]
Jordan is a monarchy in which the monarch plays a dominant role in both politics and governance. Lower house of the parliament is elected, but the electoral system and restrictions on civil liberties put the opposition at a considerable disadvantage; the chamber wields very little power in practice. The media and civil society groups are […]
While most citizens are quite free to travel abroad and domestically, the authorities thoroughly monitor and limit access to visas for non-Algerians. Police allegedly limit the movement of sub-Saharan African migrants trying to reach the Mediterranean coast. Married women under 18 must obtain the consent of their husbands to travel abroad, and men of military […]
Presidential and parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan are neither free nor fair, and authorities have unswervingly marginalized or imprisoned genuine opposition leaders. The dominant media outlets are either owned by government-friendly businessmen or are directly in state hands. Freedoms of speech and assembly remain curtailed, and corruption is endemic. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who openly defied […]
Indonesia has made remarkable democratic gains since the fall of an authoritarian regime in the year 1998, enjoying considerable political and media pluralism and undergoing multiple, peaceful handovers of power. Noteworthy challenges that persist include discrimination and violence against minority groups, conflict in Papua, systemic corruption, and the politicized use of blasphemy and defamation laws. […]
Iraq holds regular, competitive elections, and the nation’s various partisan, ethnic, and religious groups normally enjoy representation in the political system. But democratic governance is hampered in practice by corruption, militias operating outside the purview of the law, and the fragility of formal institutions. In the Kurdistan region, democratic institutions lack the requisite strength to […]
Just like democratic nations, elections are held regularly in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but they fall far short of democratic standards due in part to the undue influence of the hard-line Guardian Council, an unelected body that prohibits all candidates it deems inadequately loyal to the clerical establishment. Ultimate power rests in the hands […]
Authorities and private security groups guarding diamond mines of Lunda Norte Province allegedly restrict movements of local residents. The process for securing entry and exit visas remains problematic and mired in corruption. Bribing is often essential in order to obtain employment and residence. Predatory elites show the tendency to either disrupt or co-opt emerging new […]
Judicial independence is enshrined in the constitution. While the judiciary has displayed some impartiality in recent years, the perception of corruption and delays in providing justice remain to pose challenges. In August 2023, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo adviced Ghanaians not to pay bribes to those who allegedly work for judges. In September 2023, the Akufo-Addo […]
